Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 60 | 34 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 80% | 74 | 50 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 74% | 70 | 18 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Feb 24, 2026) · 18 reviews sampled · 18 total reviews in window · weighted 9.5 up / 3.3 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (25)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 50
“Utawarerumono is a property that deserves greater awareness, but unfortunately Utawarerumono Zan is unlikely to help. It might serve some as a brief reminder of events, but taken in a vacuum neither the storytelling nor gameplay do enough to warrant much attention.”
read full review ↗ - 40
“I really don’t know who this game is for, aside from already devoted fans of the franchise. I’m sure there are plenty of Utawarerumono fans out there, but this game didn’t seem to make any attempt at pulling in new ones.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Anyone looking for an anime brawler will find this one to be a very good one. It is not to be played for its highly-compressed retelling of a former story, nor its short length; but for mindless action and fighting it delivers fairly well. The combat is fun with enough to it to stay fairly interesting for the ten or so hours it takes to beat, just be warned there isn't some great adventure to partake in here.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Utawarerumono: Zan is a decent action RPG that doesn't take too long to beat, but at full retail price, it feels like an overly expensive endeavour -- especially for existing fans of the series. ”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Utawarerumono: Zan abridges the original storyline far too much to be accessible to newcomers while also being fairly thin on content but delivers some solid core combat and plenty of variety with its character’s fighting styles.”
read full review ↗ - 78
“Overall, Utawarerumono Zan is a bit of an awkward title to give a score to. On the one hand, as someone who has played the other games in the series and knows the plot, it’s really fun without needing to slog through a bunch of text. For new players however, the lack of fleshed out storytelling may leave a bitter taste and feel a bit underwhelming. The series was really made on the story telling, and would do well with more of it, even if it’s in something like a “sidestories” section, so you can have that faster gameplay for those who can’t sit through two hours of intricate characters before needing to shake someone down for loot and exp. Doesn’t stop me from wanting to pick up another title if they do the same thing with “Mask of Truth” though!”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Utawarerumono: ZAN is a strange mix of a visual novel and a Warriors-style hack-and-slash game that will mostly appeal to people who have already played the other games in the series. Its best features are the wide range of characters, the way battles work with groups, and the way players can change how they move, which makes trying out different strategies more rewarding.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“Utawarerumono: Zan is only for the most dedicated of fans to the series. Newcomers will be lost by the incredibly brisk and abbreviated story, and even though the combat is fun and the characters unique, there are just so many other Warriors-style games out there that provide fun gameplay and addictive action without slacking on the story. Hardcore Utawarerumono might get more pleasure out of this game than fresh faces would, but are sure to be just as disappointed by how thoroughly the story has been butchered.”
read full review ↗ - 66
“Viewed as a companion piece to the mainline entries, Utawarerumono ZAN can be a worthwhile pickup for visual novel fans with a taste for action games. Outside of that narrow context, though, its price is hard to justify.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“If you do pick it up though you’ll be getting a fun action game with unique characters backed by a wonderful art style and soundtrack.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“Overall, I enjoyed Utawarerumono: Zan much more than I was expecting. Once I stopped worrying about the story being torn apart, I found a very entertaining game that works for those who don't like the musou genre. I don't recommend it to anyone who wants to get into the franchise, but for those who just want a fluid action game, it might be a good choice.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“Utawarerumono Zan is a remake of the first episode with muso phase instead of tactical RPG ones. The result is not bad, but the visual novel part suffers from all thoses changes.”
read full review ↗
RPGamer
Gamer Escape
Cubed3
Push Square
Capsule Computers
Chalgyr's Game Room
GamesCreed
TheSixthAxis
Game8
ThisGenGaming
Gameblog…and 13 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- 2026/02/24 UpdateFeb 24, 2026significant · resets scoring window